The J Street
policy conference, “Our Time To Lead,” ran this year
from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. With 2,800 participants—900 students—it was a sea
of turquoise and a rush of chants, “Two states. Two states.”

Sometimes more
like a football game than a foreign policy conference, the youthful energy at
the conference was a testament to the grassroots and community-building work
the organization has done on college campuses through its J Street U program.

“We have over
900 students who have chosen to engage,” said Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen during a
Monday evening cocktail reception. The leader of J Street U at Princeton, Cohen
brought 24 others with him to Washington. He said the students involved with J
Street U feel they are moving the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” platform forward, a
platform he equated to the civil rights and women’s rights movements.

And while
certainly the students had an air of dedication surrounding them, there was
also an atmosphere much like one would expect at a BBYO or United Synagogue
Youth convention: kids wearing logoed T- shirts, snapping photos of their smiling
faces and “checking in” on Facebook, tweeting words of inspiration, peace and
love.

But the loud
cheering was just that—cheering. Rah-rah messages brought little diversity or
depth to the J Street sessions, of which there were roughly 25. For the
training sessions, as the conference coined them, the media was not allowed to
attend.

In each
session, the message was the one to be expected.

“Those who do
not support a two-state solution... those who think belonging to the Chosen
People gives you the right to discriminate against non-Jews, they are the real
dangerous anti-Zionists,” bellowed Israeli Knesset member Zahava Gal-On
(Meretz) ahead of Vice President Joe Biden’s talk on Monday, Sept. 30.

“In moments of
crisis, we have a duty to make change,” said Dror Moreh, director of the
documentary “The Gatekeepers,” during the opening plenary.

“To say we’re
doing everything we can to protect Palestinian lives is a lie,” said Avner
Gvaryahu of Breaking the Silence during a session entitled “The Impact of Human
Rights Organizations on Israeli Politics.”

One session,
“Iran: A New Chance for Diplomacy,” had two speakers sitting on a panel from
the same organization.

There was
little more.

The vibe in
the hallways—and in dialogues during free time and receptions—was that the
conference lacked necessary organization and background, something that many compared
with the sophisticated AIPAC annual conferences, which draw upward of 10,000 people.

“Where were
the Israel 101s and 102s you see at AIPAC for the inspired who need the
background to effectively take a stance?” was a question older participants and
other media asked more than once.

“I am often
most impressed by AIPAC’s organization,” said Rabbi Eric Solomon, who leads a
congregation in North Carolina, a state in which there are approximately 25,000
Jews. He noted that while many members of Conservative congregations nationally
shy away from active participation in J Street politics, his congregants have
warmed to the idea of their rabbi’s participation. He said the shul honors an active and concerned dialogue about
the Jewish state and that they like that “I care and that I am passionate about
Israel.”

Rabbi Solomon
tries to attend both the AIPAC and the J Street conferences and believes the
two organizations can be complementary. “Before the public goes to vote, it has
to be educated as to the realities of the peace process,” said Anat Saragusti
of B’Tselem USA during the session “Can the People Bring Peace?” This need for
greater education became gruesomely apparent when sessions opened up for
questions. Though there were those in the audience who thoughtfully quizzed the
speakers, there were many others who struggled to formulate on the subject—or
even rooted in reality—questions.

In “The View
from the Palestinian Street,” one participant stood up and asked a panelist how
difficult it is to have the majority of Palestinian leaders exiled from the
West Bank and cited Yasser Arafat’s 2003 death in a Paris hospital as an
example. The panelist who was asked to respond, Nidal Foqaha of the Palestinian
Peace Coalition, was left speechless. Ultimately he told the questioner he was
sorry but he could not answer, as the facts were all wrong; although there are
a handful of Hamas leaders who still live outside of Gaza, top Palestinian
Authority dignitaries live in the West Bank. Arafat was not exiled from
Ramallah at the time of his death.

‘The Machinery Is You’

There was only
one session devoted to Iran—at least, though, there was one. Hamas was referred
to as weakened and there was little talk—if any—as to whether the terrorist
organization could pose an obstacle to peace.

In fact, for a
conference focused on moving forward with peace negotiations, there was little
talk about the actual status of the negotiations—although Ambassador Martin
Sean Indyk did address that question during his keynote address at the Monday
night gala. More focus was put on how external influencers can sway the peace
process and what movers and shakers—and just average people—can do to move
toward two states for two people. There was also talk about how media, film and
even human rights organizations impact Israeli and Palestinians’ understanding
of what’s happening at the negotiation table.

During the
session “After the Credits Roll: Can films change the conversation about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict?” all three speakers—Ronit Avni, founder and
executive di- rector of Just Vision; Isaac Zablocki, director of the Israel
Film Center and Other Israel Film Festival; and Moreh of “The Gatekeepers”—said their experience
with film helped them see “the other side” of the conflict and learn the
other’s story.

Bassam Aramin,
director of international relations for The Parents Circle, said he was
impacted by film while serving time in a Palestinian prison. During the session
about sentiment on the Palestinian street, he said he watched a film on the
Holocaust while in prison, out of revenge for his lockup, so he could laugh at
the Jewish people’s pain. But midway through the film, he found himself crying.

“I cannot
imagine your fear,” he said, though he noted that he, too has suffered. He says he lost
his daughter to the conflict. He claims she was shot by an Israeli soldier only several
feet from her school.

The biggest
game-changer (which was obvious at a conference called “Our Time to Lead”) is
the people, said nearly all who spoke in larger forums. In his opening remarks
at the Monday gala, J Street head Jeremy Ben-Ami said, “The machinery is you.”

Congresswoman
and minority leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi told the
crowd, “It is indeed our time to lead. In fact, it is long overdue.”

America The Great?

The elephant
in the room—or at least a cause for much debate—was the true role (or the
ability to have an impact) of America in the peace negotiations. Biden
talked much about the work U.S. President Barack Obama has done for Israel and
for the peace process.

“No president
has done more for the security of Israel than President Barack Obama,” he told
a crowd that waited upward of two hours for him to speak. “Prime Minister [Benjamin]
Netanyahu... publicly thanked the president for insisting on moving forward.”

The crowd
cheered loudly for those statements.

So did many of
the panelists.

Secretary
General of the Arab League Hesham Yousef said he looks to the U.S. to decide
its role in the “important” Middle East region. He said a breakthrough will not
be made without U.S. intervention.

Tamara Cofman
Wittes, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, said the Mideast
is a place that needs the U.S. to maintain order.

Some panel
speakers, however, were less confident in America’s role. MK Meir Sheetrit of
Israel’s Hatnuah Party said during “UN-ilateralism?” that the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict “must be solved between Israel and the Palestinians, not by the U.N. or
the U.S. With all my heart, I believe we must solve it ourselves.”

Even Biden
noted, “We cannot want peace in their country more than they do.” Sheetrit’s
statement came just one day before a poll was released by the Palestine Center
for Public Opinion, which stated that 68 percent of Palestinians believe that
the intervention of the United States in the policies of the Middle East harms
stability in the region. Also, that poll noted that only 6.2 percent of
Palestinians “strongly believe” negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians will result in peace.

One striking absence
at the conference was that of Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, who recently
concluded his term. Oren did send a letter, which was handed out in folders to
conference participants. But while the letter noted in but one-and-a-half paragraphs
that the U.S. and Israel have “worked tirelessly for peace,” there was no
mention of J Street, its policies or the conference. In fact, the letter was
addressed “Dear Friends.”

Similarly, when
Oren offered a two-minute video clip at the gala dinner, there was an absence
of the name of the sponsoring organization or the work that it does. Instead,
the video focused on the effort that Netanyahu has made toward security and
peace and strongly reiterated that Israel is a democracy, and the choices being
made are by people elected to lead and in the name of popular Israeli opinion.

There was less applause for Oren.

Maayan Jaffe is editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Jewish
Times, where this story first appeared.

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